The former manager of a Mandeville timeshare resort and her husband have pleaded not guilty to charges that they slowly stole $169,000 from the timeshare's nonprofit homeowners association, then used the money to buy a car, take vacations, go to the spa and rent a limousine.

Amanda Sturdivant, left, and Jimmy Sturdivant

Amanda Sturdivant, 42, of Gardenia Drive in Covington, was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of theft of more than $1,500 and bank fraud, the latter charge stemming from her allegedly using her dead grandmother's credit card account to try to repay some of the money.

Her husband, Jimmy Sturdivant, 47, was arraigned Monday on a charge of theft of more than $1,500. According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, Sturdivant and his wife bought a car and made an $8,000 down payment from the timeshare's account. He is also accused of writing several checks to "cash" from the account.

Amanda Sturdivant began working in 2008 as the office manager of Bon Temps Village, a timeshare resort off Emerald Road in Mandeville.

The property was a member of RCI, a network of timeshares where owners can swap vacation destinations. Between 400 and 500 people, mostly from out of state, own a week's stake in Bon Temps. They paid a hefty fee to join, pay around $500 annually for maintenance, and can trade their week through RCI for time at another similar resort.

The homeowner's association employs one person to manage the property: pay the bills and taxes, coordinate maintenance and keep the books and schedule.

In 2011, RCI began getting complaints about the Mandeville property and kicked it out of the network.

A group of the homeowners, then unable to cash in their timeshare credits, flew to Mandeville in July 2011.

There were roaches and electrical problems at the site, said homeowner Sheila Dwyer, who lives in Florida. The property had no insurance. The bills and taxes hadn't been paid, she said. The association, considered a nonprofit, was $70,000 in debt and its bank account was empty.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office investigated the alleged embezzlement for six months.

Amanda Sturdivant had started slowly stealing money shortly after she started working there in 2008, said Capt. George Bonnett with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office.

At first she wrote herself two paychecks instead of one, he said. She and her husband bought a car that year and used an $8,000 check from Bon Temps as a down payment. Over the next three years, more than 100 checks were written to cash and others to pay the Sturdivants' bills and mortgage. One was used to rent a limousine, the Sheriff's Office said. Other checks were written for spa treatments, vacation rentals, gifts and lawn equipment, according to authorities. Dwyer said Sturdivant paid for private school tuition from the association's account.

Toward the end of the spree, bills started piling up and, according to the Sheriff's Office, Amanda Sturdivant wrote a check to the timeshare from her dead grandmother's credit card account in an attempt to pay off some of the bills.

Jimmy Sturdivant was booked into the St. Tammany Parish jail on Feb. 1 and posted a $10,000 bond. His wife was booked the next day and posted $175,000 bond. She declined to comment after her arraignment Tuesday.

Each is expected for hearings next month before state Judge William Burris.

••••••••

Claire Galofaro can be reached at cgalofaro@timespicayune.com or 985.898.4828.